Usefulness of LCD Protection Devices?

[sapearl]

Having just purchased my first dSLR (5D) I'm now concerned about just how susceptible to scratching that big LCD screen is. Hanging around your neck it can bang right into a belt buckle. Slung over your shoulder it can easily impact with a pager or phone.

Is it worth it to purchase those third party "Pop-up Shade/Screen Protectors"? B&H sells one by Delkin for $29.95 which both protects and shades the LCD. Gimmick or good cheap insurance? Thanks.

Stu Pearl
Cleveland, Ohio

[Jon]

Not a problem. My D60 hasn't suffered any noticeable damage in the past 3+ years of banging around my not-unobtrusive buckle, nor has my 20D in a year and a half. And the screen's actually not a screen, but a plastic cover over the LCD. THe ones for the smaller LCDs run like $10, so the Delkin screen's probably your next 2 replacement 5D screens (and I wouldn't be surprised if, under normal use, the LCD died about the same time the screen got to the point you wanted to replace it for the first time)

[Mike_B]

I haven't had any problems with scratches to my screen in over 2 years.

[SkipD]

I bang my 20D around, and there are no visible marks on the plastic cover over the LCD screen. Even if you did manage somehow to mar the cover, it is replaceable. Price for the part is about $10 US and my understanding is that the old one is yanked out using a small suction cup.

[Rumjungle]

I just put a protective film over it. It's what was left over from the sheet I used to cover my ipod. For a bit more, you can order the Giottos version from B&H for 5 or 6 dollars for 3 sheets plus a microfiber cloth.

[Double Negative]

I've dragged my D30 through just about every condition... Rain, snow, sand and salt, mud. In nearly five years I've always transported the camera around "naked" - no case or camera bag. Usually just tossed it into a (regular) backpack or on the car seat next to me (though it was in a camera bag when not being used at home).

I had one of those rigid protectors, the kind with the tape strips on TWO sides. All I can say is AVOID THESE LIKE THE PLAGUE. It's just soooo not worth it. Crap gets between the plastic and the LCD which you can't wipe or blow out. As luck would have it, some grit must've gotten in there and it presented a couple of little "pecks" in the LCD that it was designed to protect! Needless to say, I ripped that POS off and polished the LCD with some Plexiglas polish.

I've since replaced it with a stick-on film. Other than worrying about air bubbles, it's tight against the LCD so nothing can get in there. It doesn't offer rigid protection though, but I doubt it's really necessary. If your LCD is in a position to get smashed, you'll likely have other problems.

I got these stick-on films on eBay, a fellow in Germany. Five to a pack. If one gets trashed, pull it off and put on another. It'll keep your LCD from getting scratched at least, and that's all you really need, IMO.

[ssim]

I wouldn't worry about damage to the lcd screen. My cameras have also been thorugh alot and I have yet to see any wear and tear on the screens. It's a non-issue for me.

[SuzyView]

I use the film covers I bought years ago for my Sony Clie, and I cut them down to the size of the 1.8 screen. I am not hard on my camera at all, but for some reason, I feel more secure with that little piece of plastic on the LCD. I had two different kinds of plastic covers, one doesn't let the image come through very well, the other one is fine on the LCD for months at a time. If you feel as insecure as I do, go and buy those little covers. The covers you are thinking of are terrible for the Canons. N*kon cameras have a secure, really usable one, but for some reason, the Canons covers are awful.

[defordphoto]

The LCD screen is not exposed on your camera. It has a very tough, lexan-type plastic cover over it.

When I first got my D60 I tried one of those PDA covers on there and absolutely hated it. I have yet to see one that doesn't affect the view. And in the four years I have been shooting with digital SLRs, I have yet to scratch an LCD cover on any of my cameras. I also have yet to scratch a cover on any PDA I have owned or my Treo at work.

I place LCD "protectors" up there with extended warranties.

[sapearl]

Thanks for all the words of encouragement, I was making much ado about nothing - you folks have definately convinced me to go the low tech approach; next time I'm at the grocery store I'll buy a roll of Saran Wrap, keep it in the tripod bag, and rip off a hunk and swath the LCD in it after each use.

But seriously, along those lines the Giottos method seems both sensible and economical. I'll include it on my next B&H order. And I could always use the included microfiber cloth - the little things keep getting "legs" at my home.

I just put a protective film over it. It's what was left over from the sheet I used to cover my ipod. For a bit more, you can order the Giottos version from B&H for 5 or 6 dollars for 3 sheets plus a microfiber cloth.

[Eagle]

I use the plastic film on my 20D. Used it on my 300D before that. Before I had a DSLR I carried a P&S in my bag with the 35mm SLR and the screen on the P&S got a little scuffed up from sliding it in and out of the bag. I keep a piece on the screen of my flash unit also.

[ChopstickHero]

i have those self stick pre-cut screen protectors from ebay. works well. i don't have to worry about ruining the lcd screen.

[SuzyView]

I use the plastic film on my 20D. Used it on my 300D before that. Before I had a DSLR I carried a P&S in my bag with the 35mm SLR and the screen on the P&S got a little scuffed up from sliding it in and out of the bag. I keep a piece on the screen of my flash unit also.

I never thought about doing that on the flash screen. That's not overkill, huh?

[Rumjungle]

And forget about using a filter for lens protection. I just stick on some film right over it and, viola, no more scratches!;)

[jbkalla]

...I had one of those rigid protectors, the kind with the tape strips on TWO sides. All I can say is AVOID THESE LIKE THE PLAGUE. It's just soooo not worth it. Crap gets between the plastic and the LCD which you can't wipe or blow out. As luck would have it, some grit must've gotten in there and it presented a couple of little "pecks" in the LCD that it was designed to protect! Needless to say, I ripped that POS off and polished the LCD with some Plexiglas polish...


Wow! I just put one of those on! Thanks for the info. Guess I'll try to take it off... Or would you recommend leaving it for awhile?

Actually, I think mine has strips on all four sides, but I can imagine there are small gaps.

[Lightstream]

Another supporter of the PDA-screen-protector-film approach. (irony: I never put any on the PDAs and they never get scratched... PDAs are tough things. Of course I am tempting fate by saying this. :P)

It's more convenient than the saran wrap because it stays there. Trim it to size, don't let anything get under it (dust) when applying, don't leave overhanging edges or it tends to peel off.

I feel (psychologically) better about having it. Before that, I acquired one tiny little scratch, while you can see it if you know exactly where to look and from what angle, it doesn't disturb image quality. But I figured it would be better to spend $1 (buy whatever PDA protector is cheapest) to protect a bit of hardware that cost substantially more. Good to know that if all else fails, the actual LCD cover itself can be replaced at a reasonable cost, though.

[Double Negative]

Wow! I just put one of those on! Thanks for the info. Guess I'll try to take it off... Or would you recommend leaving it for awhile?

Actually, I think mine has strips on all four sides, but I can imagine there are small gaps.

You'll probably be okay, especially if it has four strips. I take my camera to the ocean beaches and muddy woods most of the time, so YMMV. I wanted the extra protection.

It's true, the LCD isn't exposed on these cameras. But scratches are annoying. It's cheap and easy to put a stick-on over it. If it does get scratched, try the aforementioned polish - it'll remove most everything except deep scratches. I'm a little hard on my gear, but I would agree that for most people it's probably not necessary. What' I'd rather have is an eyepiece extension to keep the nose marks off! ;)

[jbkalla]

...What' I'd rather have is an eyepiece extension to keep the nose marks off! ;)

Now, I have the eyepiece extension that Canon sells, but it's not much of an extension: Only about 1/2" or so. And does anybody sell the eyecups with the big rubber surround, you know, the round ones?

[Lowbyte]

http://www.bocaphoto.com/products/new/canon/canonacc.htm

Never used them- but I had this bookmarked from another site. You will find the Round Eyecup about 2/3 of the way down the web page for $5.95

I did some looking on Adorama and couldn't find a round eyecup for Canon there- but I'm pretty sure they carried something in the past. Might be worth a phone call.

[wrangler]

Itried one of the pop up protectors/shade on my 20D. The only problem with it is it gets in the way when open and trying to look thru the viewfinder. Plus it makes chimping difficult. I have since removed mine...

[jbkalla]

http://www.bocaphoto.com/products/new/canon/canonacc.htm

Never used them- but I had this bookmarked from another site. You will find the Round Eyecup about 2/3 of the way down the web page for $5.95.

Now, that site says it's for "A-Series" cameras. Is the RebelXT an A-Series camera?

[Double Negative]

That round eyecup is actually for the A series... A-1, AE-1, AE-1P, etc. However, it should work just fine since the viewfinder attachment area is rectangular.

I used a plain rubber eyecup from my A-1 on the D30, as well as the Angle Finder A in the past. If anyone's curious, I'll double-check when I get home tonight.

The round rubber eyecup on an extender (even a 1/2") might be the ticket...

[jbkalla]

That round eyecup is actually for the A series... A-1, AE-1, AE-1P, etc. However, it should work just fine since the viewfinder attachment area is rectangular.

I used a plain rubber eyecup from my A-1 on the D30, as well as the Angle Finder A in the past. If anyone's curious, I'll double-check when I get home tonight.

The round rubber eyecup on an extender (even a 1/2") might be the ticket...

That would be cool! Thanks! If it works fine, I'll just get it.

[Double Negative]

Spaced this thread - I'll check it out tonight jbkalla.

[brivett]

Well... what can I say...

I loved and protected my 10D which cost 1,900 UK pounds... and now 2 years later it's worth 5 pounds more than next to nothing... as opposed to just next to nothing for a scratched version....

Stop baby minding them.... ! They are the fastest depreciating item you will ever own... with or without sticky tape over and already armored screen... get out and use them....

[Tapeman]

Duct Tape works for me.

[Bakewell]

I use these on every screen I own...PDA, Cell, Camera. A little pricy at $10 or so, but...they work!

http://www.shieldzone.com/

[Double Negative]

Okay I double-checked this morning. Any accessory that uses rails (e.g. Angle Finder A) works great. Rubber eyecups also work, but not 100%. The problem is that there's only a flange/angular lip on the left/right of the viewfinder and not the top/bottom (on the camera). So the eyecup isn't totally secured - but it does work.

[convergent]

I use the film covers I bought years ago for my Sony Clie, and I cut them down to the size of the 1.8 screen. I am not hard on my camera at all, but for some reason, I feel more secure with that little piece of plastic on the LCD. I had two different kinds of plastic covers, one doesn't let the image come through very well, the other one is fine on the LCD for months at a time. If you feel as insecure as I do, go and buy those little covers. The covers you are thinking of are terrible for the Canons. N*kon cameras have a secure, really usable one, but for some reason, the Canons covers are awful.

This reply is more to everyone, not just to SuzyView.

Are you guys actually reading what has been posted several times in this thread. The Canon DSLRs already have a cheap and VERY durable LCD cover on them... so buying another cover is kind of like... putting cheap vinyl floor mats over the nice carpeted ones that come with the car. They will look bad and just save the real floor mats for the guy you sell the car to when you get rid of it.

I used to have two Nikon DSLRs (D2H and D70) and the LCD covers are ridiculous that come with them. First of all, they look completely stupid and ruin the nice lines of the camera. Second, they are incredibly easy to scratch. Third, they fall off with the slightest bump. And, underneath, you have an unprotected LCD. Canon has this thing nailed, so it really caught my eye when someone thought Nikon did this better.

So just to review... the LCD on the Canon DSLRs ALREADY HAS A PROTECTIVE COVER. You can order a replacement for around $10 bucks I think... may be $15. You can replace it yourself. That said, I've not heard of anyone having them get scratched. I'm not exactly gentle with my equipment and frequently find the LCD rubbing up against my belt buckle. So far, no scratches.

I would never use a PDA without a protector, but Canon DSLRs are well protected.